DEMOGRAPHIC, LABORATORY AND CLINICAL STUDY OF THE POTENTIALLY FATAL BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

Abstract

Bronchial asthma is a serious global health problem. People of all ages in all countries through the world were affected by this chronic airway disorder that could be severe or fatal. As it is realized that asthma is an incurable disease that appears to be increasing, the mortality it causes is receiving more attention.

There are recent reports that the prevalence or the severity, or both are increasing. As well as, hospital admission rate have been increasing for people of all ages in a number of countries, which suggests an increase in morbidity inspite of better understanding of pathology and tool of treatment.

This work entailed 45 patients with primary diagnosis of asthma. Fifteen patients (8 females and 7 males) with acute asthma in respiratory failure and needed mechanical ventilation and 30 patients with acute asthma but did not need mechanical ventilation as control group.

All patients were subjected to:

History taking through structural questionnaires, clinical examination, routine laboratory investigations, electrocardiogram, chest x­ ray, arterial gasometery at the time of arrival in the emergency department and pulmonary function tests performed in recovery phase of hospitalization.